A 150-plus opening partnership set up Pretoria Capitals (PC) to chase down Durban Super Giants‘ (DSG) gigantic total, but they fell agonisingly short by just two runs in an SA20 last-ball thriller at Kingsmead on Friday.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz‘s blistering 89 off 43 balls, including 7 sixes, and his 154-run opening stand with Will Jacks (64 off 35) laid the foundation required to go past DSG’s 209 for 4, but the remaining PC batters couldn’t score a mere 56 needed off the last 47 balls with nine wickets in hand.
Instead, DSG bowlers held their nerves to stop PC’s chase at 207 for 6 in 20 overs for a two-run win in the second match of the season in Durban.
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After DSG spinner Noor Ahmad broke the stand with the wicket of his Afghanistan teammate Gurbaz in the 13th over, Chris Woakes struck in the next over to remove skipper Rilee Rossouw for just 1.
Noor (2 for 34) and Woakes (2 for 42) got another wicket apiece to put pressure back on PC’s run-chase, when they sent back Jacks and Senuran Muthusamy (8), respectively, to make it 183 for 4 in 15.5 overs.
Big-hitter Liam Livingstone was the Pretoria’s best hope to take them home as the equation, 27 runs needed off 25 balls with six wickets in hand, still favouring PC; but the experienced South African spinner and DSG captain Keshav Maharaj removed Livingstone for 13 and Naveen-ul-Haq sent back James Neesham (3) to bring the game on an even keel.
With 14 runs needed off the final over, PC batters could hit only one four in the last six balls and fell short of the target by two runs.
Earlier, after DSG won the toss and opted to bat, they were given a solid start by openers Bryce Parsons (47) and Matthew Beetzke (33), who stitched together a partnership of 67 runs.
Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson then held the innings together, after Quinton de Kock (15) and Heinrich Klaaasen (0) fell cheaply.
All-rounder Wiaan Mulder (45* off 19 balls) then gave Williamson (60* off 40) the support he was looking for, as the duo added a quickfire 91 runs in the last 6.3 overs to take the total past the 200-run mark.
Left-arm spinner Muthusamy bowled a crafty spell of left-arm spin to finish with figures of 3 for 21.
